The third volume in the Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe series is identical in format to the previous two volumes, with species accounts being illustrated with paintings, principally to highlight important characters that are sometimes difficult to ascertain from a photograph. The book is also unique in illustrating microscopic features next to each painting.
Volume 3 is the third volume in the series Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe to deal with the gilled fungi, the agarics. All the volumes include both common as well as rare and occasionally found examples, with a bias to including those not found in other field guides or new to science. Families covered in volume 3: Agaricaceae (continued from volume 1), Psathyrellaceae, Mythicomycetaceae, Galeropsidaceae, Strophariaceae, Hymenogastraceae and Cortinariaceae.
With many thousands of just the larger basidiomycetes in Britain alone to choose from, it has become obvious that to include a good representation of species as in the previous volumes, a fourth volume would be needed. Volume 4 will allow completion of something like 98% of those gilled fungi known to date. This final volume will also include an addendum of species added to the British list since the publication of the first three volumes. Families to be covered in volume 4: Bolbitaceae, Crepidotaceae, Inocybaceae, Tubariaceae, Macrocystidiaceae and Entolomataceae.
Using this book iii
Families and Genera iv
Preface & Acknowledgements v
The Structures of Gilled Fungi vi
Stem Shapes vi
Common Cap Shapes vi
Gill Attachments vii
Spore Shapes and Ornamentation vii
Cystidia viii
Cap Cuticles viii
Some Common Colour Terms in Fungi ix
Glossary x
Further Reading xii
Checklist of Trees and Shrubs xiv
Keys to major groups of gilled fungi xv
Illustrations and descriptions of species 1–173
Agaricaceae 2
Psathyrellaceae 14
Mythicomycetaceae 50
Galeropsidaceae 52
Strophariaceae 54
Hymenogastraceae 70
Cortinariaceae 100
Index 174
Index of Genera in Volumes 1–3 180